Unique Converted Homes 2012

There’s great satisfaction to be taken in starting out with something humble and transforming it to something mighty. Architects especially may enjoy this act of transformation. Last year’s Unique Converted Homes slideshow on CNBC.com showcased 10 such architectural rags-to-riches stories.

Now, an eye-popping look at some more amazing examples of the sustainable practice called adaptive reuse. For this go-round, we have an apartment with a view that was integrated into in an ancient structure and a masterful factory conversion by an architect that became his personal residence and company offices. This collection also shows homes made out of a former school and former shelters for emergency vehicles. The global locations range from a tiny island off Scotland to a rural Spanish hillside to the Mediterranean coast of Tel Aviv.

Many have modern styles, but it’s clear the designers have a reverence for the structure that came before. One architect who revamped a building in the following collection, Pitsou Kedem, wrote of his work, “The project succeeds in both honoring and preserving the historical and almost romantic values of the structure whilst creating a contemporary project, modern and suited to its period.” The same could be said about nearly all of the following unique converted homes.